Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II: A Decorated Marine's Account of the Last Battle of World War II - Softcover

Leckie, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140173897 ISBN 13: 9780140173895

Publisher: Penguin, 1996

Synopsis

On Easter Sunday, 1945, the U.S. Marines and Army launched an invasion of Japan, attacking Okinawa with 540,000 men and 1,600 seagoing ships. The closing battle of World War II, it lasted eighty-three days and eclipsed D-Day in both troops and tonnage. In "Okinawa," Marine and Pacific War veteran Robert Leckie retells the epic tale of this great battle from both sides, including the stories of the Japanese generals, who in the battle's last moments committed "hara-kiri." He especially focuses on the American soldiers themselves and their commanding officers, drawing brilliantly illuminated portraits of individuals who fought a merciless enemy in the tradition of American military history at its most splendid and terrifying.

About this title

Review:

"Leckie's smooth narrative deals with all aspects of the Okinawa battle...and his style adds some nice touches, including autobiographical flashes that go back as far as Guadalcanal."--Washington Post Book World

About the Author:

Robert Leckie (1920-2001) was the author of more than 30 works of military history as well as Marines!, a collection of short stories, and Lord, What a Family!, a memoir. Raised in Rutherford, New Jersey, he started writing professionally at age 16, covering sports for the Bergen Evening Record of Hackensack, New Jersey. Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor, going on to serve as a machine gunner and as an intelligence scout and participating in all 1st Marine Division campaigns except Okinawa. He was awarded five battle stars, the Naval Commendation Medal with Combat V, and the Purple Heart. Helmet for My Pillow was his first book; it received the USMC Combat Correspondents Association Award upon publication.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0140173897
• ISBN 13: 9780140173895
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240